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Hiking along the Appalachian Trail in the footsteps of so many who went before me was soul inspiring. Our leaders were very knowledgeable and identified plants, trees, mushrooms, lichens, and salamanders which gave me a better appreciation of the wonderful world we live in.

The area is beautiful and the hiking was fantastic. Jack is very knowledgeable and adjusted the hikes to meet the needs and wants of the group. All the participants were great - one of the best groups I have been with in my travels with Road Scholar.

Our first program has us itching for more (no, we didn't get poison ivy)! Jack and Marantha, our leaders and immediate friendly compatriots, are amazing. Their knowledge sharing and willingness to be the first to taste edible(!) wild things enhanced our experience and increased our confidence (they survived that and us). We loved everything about Hinton and our fellow-hikers were very likeable, supportive, and willing to take-on the challenges of the AT and more. We will definitely do another Road Scholar trip.

As a first timer, I didn't know what to expect, but this program greatly exceeded all of my expectations. The leaders/instructors were very warm, welcoming, knowledgeable people. They could not have been any better. The hikes were great, and I learned a lot about the flora and fauna of the region.

This was my first Road Scholar program. Jack and Liz were the highlight of the program with their vast knowledge of God's great outdoors! The activity level of the hikes chosen fit our group's abilities perfectly. As expected, the people involved in supporting this program had the participant's best interests in mind. Thanks Road Scholar and I'm already looking forward to my next program!

Awesome experience! Liz and Jack are masters in their areas of expertise. I learned so much and left with a wonderful appreciation of the environment and the ability of these two instructors to instruct and have a love of people and the outdoor setting. Kim

Jack and Liz are excellent guides who gave us a great trip. They are casually comfortable, highly organized, fun, flexible, well informed, excellent and patient teachers who led well paced hikes in beautiful areas.

We just returned from our first hiking trip & have Road Scholar to thank for the very positive experience. Our hike along the southern Appalachian Trail was fabulous for learning about fauna & flora; our guides were very knowledgeable, fun & interesting; the program was very well organized; the accommodations & meals were great; and the participants were amiable & lots of fun!

Staff was extremely attentive to our charter group's preferences. The trails and hikes were moderate, but very strewn with wet roots and rocks, covered by recently fallen leaves. These leaves were falling because we hit the Fall colors perfectly. Very beautiful and very interesting. Most of us preferred fewer educational moments and more hiking, and the staff adjusted to our needs.
Great trip.

Hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall was beautiful. We had two excellent naturalists with us. The hiking was moderate (4-8 miles a day). Strongly urge hikers to bring hiking poles as the trail has lots of tree roots so it's easy to fall especially when they are covered with leaves. I would highly recommend this trip.

Need Help?

The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!